Shadows and Secrets
by FireBurningHeart
Summary: Ever since Zai's life fell apart, she has had to live in the woods. There she meets some strange characters, finds love (maybe), and tries to overcome her tragic past. Even though a mess up with a Storm and Shadow spirit may tear her apart.. Again. Warning: Overuse of the word runaway. T for violence. Formerly Zai's story, I decided to fix and condense this. Zuko/OC DLDR.
1. Zai

**Hey! I've decided to condense this and call it something better! Enjoy!**

Zai was a runaway. There was nothing to question about it. Just a year ago, she had a home with a mother and a father in the Fire Nation army. But it wasn't as good as it sounded. Her mother was constantly partying, leaving Zai to cook and clean, everything that her mother should have done instead. When she met Ji, it was like a dream come true. His house was her home away from home, and she was almost as close to his mother as he was. Which was saying something, because Ji and his mother were very close. "But now that's over," Zai thought to herself. She remembered that terrible day...

-Flashback-

_Slam! _Her mother slammed the door.

"Zai Lin, could you make breakfast?" Xia called from the entry room.

"Actually, I'm going to see my boyfriend." Zai called.

"Who, Ji? He killed himself yesterday." She walked into the kitchen.

"He WHAT?" Zai's voice broke.

"Something about his mother. She died, too. Now will you make breakfast?" Xia said indifferently. Zai held back tears.

"No." Her voice was barely audible. "You will make your OWN breakfast, because I am DONE! Goodbye, _mother._" She spit out the word like it tasted bad.

-End Flashback-

_It's been a year since I ran away. Should I go back? _Zai asked herself this question every day. But the answer was always the same. _No, I will never go back._

Wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't notice him until he was right in front of her. "Who are you and what do you want?" She demanded, readying fireballs at her fingertips.

"I am Zuko. All I wanted was firewood, but if you want to fight, then we will fight." He also readied fire. _Another firebender?_ Zai thought.

"So... you're not going to hurt me?" She extinguished her fire.

"Not if you don't hurt me." Zuko said. Zai looked down, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I'm always on my guard. Running away does that to a person." She apologized. His expression suddenly became interested and curious.

"You ran away?" He asked. Zai nodded.

"Did you? I mean, you're in the woods alone. Not that you look like a runaway..." _I'm_ _rambling_, Zai thought. He gave a half-smile.

"Well, kind of. I'm with the Avatar." He didn't seem to be bragging.

"Wow, the Avatar."

"You look like somebody that he'd be interested to meet. We're all runaways, in a way."

"A group full of runaways?" Zai looked impressed. Zuko nodded.

"You should come with us." _Normally I'd have been running away. what IS it with him? _Zai wondered. Then she did something so unbelievable, even to herself.

"I'd like that, thanks." She grinned and followed him through the woods.

_What is wrong with me? I'm just following some random guy through the woods? What if he's lying? Oh Elements he's probably going to turn me in for everything I did..._ I think. But there he is, leading me to his "group of runaways", with a half-smile on his face. We find our way out of the woods to find a large clearing, and some people outside.

"So you weren't lying." I say under my breath.

"What?" Zuko asks. I shake my head. "Hey, guys, I have someone for you to meet!" He calls, and everyone walks over to us. There's a guy with a ponytail, a dark-skinned girl with big blue eyes, a bald teenage monk who I think is the avatar, and a small, possibly blind black-haired girl. Another one is a girl I recognize as a Kyoshi warrior who I think attacked me in the woods. then again, people from all 4 nations attacked me in the woods...

"Um, hi.." I say shyly.

"Guys, this is..." Zuko trails off, not knowing my name. Awkward.

"Zai Lin Xiao, call me Zai." I finish for him. Ponytail groans.

"More people?" He says. I roll my eyes. _He looks like a jerk._ I think. Everyone else looks pretty happy to see me though, minus the Kyoshi girl, who looks like she's trying to remember me.

"So, can she join?" Zuko asks, silently pleading. After a little bit of convincing on Ponytail's part, I am part of Team Avatar.

"I'm Katara." She says.

"Nice to meet you." I reply.

"Sokka, at your service."

"I'm Aang, I'm glad you're part of our team." _He's the Avatar!_ I think, amazed.

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Avatar. I'm not worthy of you presence." I look like a fool as I bow. After a short pause, Pony-Sokka and Aang start cracking up.

"Just Aang is fine." He giggles. I give both of them a look.

"I ran away a year ago, and haven't been back since. Do you expect me to know how to act?" I snap. That shuts them up. The blind girl suddenly looks interested.

"You ran away?" She asks.

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, just wondering. I'm Toph. In case you couldn't tell, I'm blind."

"Um, okay..." I say awkwardly. The sun sets behind me.

"It's getting dark." The girl called Katara says. "I think we should get to bed." Everyone agrees. I set off to find some leaves to sleep on.

"Where are you going?" Zuko asks.

"I'm going to find leaves to sleep on." I reply. He pulls out an extra sleeping bag.

"You can use this." He says and hands it to me.

"Thanks." I say, and get settled into it. Everyone exchanges Goodnights and we all get to sleep. Except me.

I make sure everyone is sleeping, get up, and walk into the woods.

**_Zai_**

I pushed through the trees, branches scratching my face. One touched my scar from that Earth Kingdom soldier. I still remember when he saw me Firebending and cut me with his knife. I finally located the clearing I had been practicing on for the past half a year. I started to force the fire out of my fingertips and direct it to my targets. After a while I started to get tired, but I still kept going.

_Snap!_ I heard behind me. I swirled around, fireballs ready, to find Zuko not ten feet away from me.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, but extinguished my fire.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I practice my Firebending at night. It makes me feel safe." He was suddenly 9 feet closer. He pulled me into an embrace and pressed his lips to mine. A lone tear fell from my eye. I broke away, shocked.

"I'm sorry, did I do something to offend you? It's just..." He trailed off.

"No, I just feel... " I searched for the right words. "Like a traitor."

He sat on a log and motioned for me to do the same. I sat down.

"Why?" I tell him the story of Ji.

"But now," I conclude. "I feel like he's telling me to do what I feel is right. I like you, Zuko, I really do." I say sincerely. He smiles.

"I can understand if you don't want to-" I cut him off with another kiss.

"Does that answer your question?" I say softly. He nods, and we walk back to the clearing. I find the Kyoshi warrior, Suki, awake in her sleeping bag.

"I'm sorry." She whispers. I nod.

"I forgive you." I knew it was her who attacked me in the woods...

I woke up at the buttcrack of dawn to Sokka and Aang arguing.

"The cake is NOT a lie!"

"Is too!"

I looked around to see Toph's sleeping bag empty, Katara cooking breakfast over a fire, Zuko meditating, and Suki practicing her martial arts and fan-fighting on something called "the Melon Lord", a melon on a stick. It was supposed to be a Firelord Ozai dummy. It had been 4 days since the meeting in the woods. We were officially dating, but keeping it a secret since everyone since everyone was still getting used to me (and Zuko, too). And Sokka was still kinda suspicious of me after catching us walking back from the woods 2 nights ago. These meetings between Zuko and I were our getaway, where we could be free to be romantic. But anyways,

"Actually, Aang, the cake is _not_ a lie." I say, standing up and walking away to feed Appa and Momo (this had become my job since I was the only one not afraid of Appa's huge mouth, and Momo liked me for some reason).

I pet the sky bison's giant fuzzy head.

"Open up, big guy." Appa obediently opens his mouth. I put some hay in. Momo flies over and lands on my head. I gave him some leachy nuts and he makes his little chirping sound.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." I hear behind me.

"Hello?" I ask cautiously.

"Zai, can you come over here?" It's Toph.

"Sure." I follow the sound of her voice until I come to her. She looks terrible, white as a sheet. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"I... threw up really bad behind that tree, and I feel really sick." She moans. I fell her forehead.

"Wow, you're burning up. Come on, let's go to Katara. She'll help." I reassure. She takes my hand and I lead her over to our only healer. I decide not to stick around and instead take over making breakfast. Zuko is still meditating along with Aang, and Sokka is taking his turn with the Melon Lord. Suki goes off to pick berries. Finally breakfast is done.

"Breakfast's ready!" I call, and everyone comes running over (except Toph). I serve them all turtleduck eggs.

"We need to go to the market. Toph is sick, and if I hear Sokka complain about lack of meat one last time, I'm gonna lose it." Katara announces.

"What? I'm DYING!" Sokka says. We all roll our eyes.

After breakfast, we make a list of everything we need before we get to the house.

"Um, guys, this stuff is in all different places of the market. It'd take hours to get around to buy this stuff." Suki says.

"So we split up. I'll go with Suki, Katara stays here with Toph, Aang goes with Zuko and Zai." We agree to this arrangement, and go to the market.

**_-Sokka and Suki-_**

"Okay, the first thing we need is meat." Sokka says to his girlfriend.

"No, the first thing on our list is... hay for Appa." Sokka's eye twitches.

A girl with short blonde hair was in the farm store, selling hay. Her nametag said **Hello my name is: Ari**

"Welcome to the Farm- OH MY GAWD YOU'RE SOKKA!" Ari said.

"At your service."

Ari glomped Sokka.

"Get-This-CRAZY CHICK OFFA ME!" Sokka screamed.

Suki grinned. This was going to be a long day.

**_-Katara and Toph-_**

"Kataraaaaaaaa..." Toph mumbles.

"What?"

_Glurp_. Toph threw up all over Katara.

"You're secretly enjoying this, aren't you?" Katara asked. Toph evilly grinned.

**_-Zai, Zuko, and Aang-_**

"Cool!" Aang exclaimed, looking at Appa plushies. While he was looking away, Zuko and I held hands. We exchanged grins. Every time Aang looked back at us, we'd drop hands and whistle innocently. Finally we arrived at the herbalist.

"Oh, come in." The old lady said. Miyuki mewed from the back.

"Not you again!" Aang groaned.

-oO0Oo-

We returned to the clearing to find Toph even worse than we had left her.

"Do you have the medicine?" Katara asked desperately. I handed her the tonic.

"Tomorrow, we are leaving for the house." Sokka announced. We agreed.

_As Zai and the others are getting ready to leave, another story is happening..._

"Okay, Miyuki, you can change now." The old herbalist said to her "cat". Suddenly the cat figure grew. In her place was a slightly small, brown haired, pale skinned girl with strange grey eyes.

"Thank you, Mother." Miyuki was a shapeshifter who had been caught by the Fire Nation many times before. Shapeshifting was illegal, and the guards knew her appearance by heart. So she had decided to take on cat form and go with her mother. The only reason she stuck around was because she liked to help people in their little Fire Nation town. People were _always_ getting in trouble there.

_Now back to the GAang_

Today Toph was feeling better, the air was warm, and Appa was refreshed. A perfect day to leave for their house, courtesy of Zuko's dad Firelord Ozai. Everything seemed perfect. All of the members of their little nomad-group were loading things onto Appa.

"Help, please, help!" An old man came stumbling through the woods, coughing badly. All members were suddenly alert. Aang quickly covered his arrow with a spare hat.

"What is it?" We all asked at about the same time. The old man began to cry.

"My poor wife has fallen, and her leg is all twisted. The only doctor is busy treating a terrible disease with what little supplies he has!" He had begun to cry.

"Don't worry. We can help." I reassure.

"Ugh, this is the Painted Lady all over again. We have to LEAVE, and that's when people start needing us. Great." Sokka groaned, but he was the first one to head into the woods, led by the old man.

When we get to his house, the man only lets Aang and Toph in, don't ask me why. The rest of us hang back worriedly.

"Maybe we should get something for the old woman, a get well present." I suggest to Zuko.

"I'm staying here." Sokka says.

"Looks like then it's just the 3 of us." Katara says, and we head into the market.

We spend what feels like hours searching for a gift, then settle on a basket of assorted fruits.

When we head back, it is clear to see guards in front of the house so we hide behind a stand. Everyone looks as terrified as I feel.

We watch the guards until they leave. In their possession is Aang, Toph, and Sokka. There are too many guards to attack.

"We'll get them back." I whisper, more to myself than my boyfriend and best friend. But the sun sinks lower in the sky and we are forced to go back to camp and light a fire.

As soon as they are asleep, I head into the woods and put my shadow cape on.

-oO0Oo-

The village is quiet, and guards are patrolling the streets. That is no problem for me. My cape allows me to blend into the shadows, unseen by human eyes. I walk for awhile and come across the herbalist we met in the market yesterday. Her light is still on, even though it is well past midnight. I knock on the door.

"Hello?" She asks, opening the door a crack. I am still in my cape. I slip in unnoticed. An amazing sight meets my eyes. Miyuki the cat suddenly transforms into a small girl with weird grey eyes. Her eyes widen at me.

"Darkness? You're that girl?" She whispers softly. I am a legend, the cool breeze that send chills down your spine, and when I'm gone, enemies are never heard of again. But I am also feared for my mystery. Some have said to see me. But it is never true. This girl-cat, thing, she is staring into my soul. I take my cloak off.

"Yes."

"But- why are you here?" She asks. The herbalist walks in.

"Darkness. I knew you'd return." She gives me an all-knowing smile.

-oO0Oo-

I tell them my story, and they tell me theirs. How Miyuki knew it was me when I bought herbs at her store yesterday, and how I saved them from that shirshu by drifting past. The shirshu was so confused, he knocked them all of running around in circles and going nowhere in particular.

"So now that you know, I need your help. My friends have been captured by Fire Nation guards, and I can't do this alone."

Miyuki, the old woman, and Zai came up with a plan. Miyuki, having been to the prison herself, knew exactly where it was. They would distract the guards by having the herbalist woman run out crying, "Help, my cat!" and have Miyuki in her arms. Miyuki would shapeshift into a human, allowing me to slip by in my cloak. Then I would grab the keys from a guard, unlock the cell doors, and set them free. Miyuki and the old woman would distract them until we got away safely on Appa.

"Well, it's full of holes, but it'll work." I say and slip the cape over my head. We head out. At first, everything is going great. On cue,

"Help, help! My cat!" She yelled. The guards rush over, and I slip by unnoticed. Then things go wrong. First, a ton of guards go surging past to aid in Miyuki's arrest. _Every single one _has a key ring. I snatch the one with the most keys and run around in the shadows searching for the cell. Next I find only Sokka's cell. Not wanting them to know about my secret identity, I slip off the cape and run over to Sokka.

"ZAI?!" I make a 'Sssshhh' motion and quickly unlock his cell door. He goes running out the back exit which is unguarded.

_Idiots_. I think and try for the others. But I feel like the idiot when I finally realize that Aang will be with Firelord Ozai, and Toph is probably with her family. I put on my cape hurriedly and run outside.

"Mission aborted." I whisper into Miyuki's ear and she signals to her mother. They run far away and I mentally kick myself. I speed back to the clearing (being a Firebender, along with the added bonus of being a shadow makes me almost unstoppably fast). I bump into someone and fall over.

_That's weird._ I think, but my cape is half off and I become solid. I look up to see who but the Blue Spirit.

"Zai?!" The Blue Spirit asks.

I know that voice...

"ZUKO?!" I am truly amazed. But he looks hurt.

"Why... why didn't you tell me?" He whispers.

"What do you mean? Why didn't I tell you? Why didn't you tell me?" I ask furiously. He looks at a loss for words.

"You always complain about how you are marked. How that burn makes you seem like a villain. I-" I yell, my voice becoming increasingly softer. "I am marked too." Now I whisper.

"What do you mean?"

In reply, I take off the bandage around my hand. It has, over the years, become a part of me, like my ponytail, or my amber eyes. Under the bandage is a black mark. The mark of the Shadow Spirit curse. His eyes widen. In his mind, he searches for answers but finds none. The answers I have to supply.

"When I was thirteen, Ji and I became rebels to the Fire Nation. But we were caught, and I had to do something. So I made a deal with the Shadow Spirit. He would give me the Shadow Cape, but in return he would mark me. This mark means I will die at eighteen. I have 3 years." I have started to silently cry.

"Oh, Zai." He says, and pulls me close. I realize that I've been cold, and his body heat combines with mine to make a pleasurable warmness that invites me to sleep... Forever...

**Really proud of my last few chapters... But Zai still has to rescue Toph and Aang. Coming up in this installment: A shocking confeesion is made, a little steel (meaning the opposite of fluff), and a runaway. Read and REVIEW!  
**_It is 6 months after I ran away. I had managed to get to Ba Sing Se, I had been living without food for a week. It is burning hot, and I stop in a tea shop. _Remember your fake identity. _I think. My identity was a refugee in the inner wall named Jin. I had a messy ponytail and Earth Kingdom clothes. This alibi was my ticket to freedom, as long as I didn't Firebend. I walk into a tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon. There's a cute waiter there. Every day for 4 days I come in and order a cup of tea. One day I ask him out, and we go to this secluded pond after a dinner and some kinda awkward conversation. But as I stare into his amber eyes with my own, instead of Lee, it's Zuko._

I wake up from my dream with only one intelligible thought:

_LeeisZukoisLeeisZukoisLeeisZukoisLee. _

I sit up in my sleeping bag.

"Good morning, Zai." Zuko says when he sees me awake.

"Good morning, _Zuko._ Or should I say, _Lee._" I say in a sarcastic tone. Recognition floods his eyes and face and he looks astonished.

"J-Jin?" He asks, barely a whisper.

"Yes, _Lee_. So, can you show me your _juggling, Mr. Circus Performer?_"

"You make it look like_ I'm_ the villain. _You_ had a fake name too."

"You're avoiding my question. Jin was my name because everyone was looking for me. I was a Fire Nation rebel and I like not being killed, or sent to Firelord Ozai, or stuck in a cell for all eternity. I don't see any reason for you to have a fake name. You _lied._ I _saved myself from the Fire Nation._" Inside, I'm hurting with the pain of another betrayal, another tragedy. On the outside, though, I'm as tough as nails, showing no emotion except for anger.

"I have a confession. I'm the banished prince of the Fire Nation. Son to Ozai and sister to Azula." At this, I get up, trying not to show emotion, and grab my shadow cloak.

"Today we rescue Aang and Toph. Let's go." I hurriedly wake Katara and Sokka and tell them my plan.

"Today we rescue Aang and Toph. Since I'm sure that Zuko would like a family reunion, Zuko and I will go rescue Aang. Sokka and Katara, you guys get Toph from her family. It will take a lot of convincing on her parents' part, and quite possibly some smuggling and running." They nod, even though Sokka looks less than thrilled to be part of the less exciting mission.

"How come you get to rescue Aang?" He complains.

"The Fire Nation soldiers don't know me like they know you. And both of us have Fire Nation clothes, we'll blend right in." I motion to Zuko to emphasize my point. Both Water Tribe teens agree, and we split up, Katara and Sokka taking Appa for a faster journey. I hear a 'Yip-yip' and we start walking to the Fire Nation.

"You're mad." Zuko points out.

"When were you going to tell your GIRLFRIEND that you're the FIRE NATION PRINCE?!" I yell. He's at a loss for words.

-oO0Oo-

"I wanted to rescue Aang!" Sokka complains.

"I _know._ You've spoken of _nothing else_ since we left for Toph _four hours ago!_" Katara snaps. Sokka makes a dejected face. The town comes into view far ahead.

"Finally, we're here!"

"Toph, here we come." Katara mutters.

-oO0Oo-

After a long, foot-killing, uneventful journey through the woods, we finally come to the Fire Nation and head through the city to the Fire Nation. I slip on my Shadow Cape, and Zuko puts his mask on. I slip in through the front door, and he goes through the air ducts. Our mission: Find Aang and release him at any and all costs.

_Zuko_

I crawl through the enclosed air ducts with one thing on my mind- Aang. I had practically just joined the team, but all of us were close as family. Except for Zai... I clear my head. _No distractions right now. Not even your girlfriend._ I find an exit and get out of the ducts and onto the ceiling of the hallway near the room where Aang was kept. Ironic, how I did the exact same thing months ago. I spot a small book in the middle of the hall. It says on the cover: Property of Zai Lin Xiao. _So Zai was here._ I think. I hear guards so I swiftly swoop down, grab the book, and get back on the ceiling before I'm spotted. I put the book in my pocket and climb by way of ceiling pipes over to a hallway out of sight of the door leading to the room where my friend was kept.

_Zai_

After a long amount of time spent running, hiding, crawling, or climbing I do a mental checklist. _Bow, check. Arrows, check. Fire-_ I force a small flame out of my fingertips_ -Check. Sketchbook, che-_ I pat my front pocket. Then my back pocket. then everywhere my sketchbook could be hidden. I take it everywhere, bu now it's nowhere to be seen. I pray to Tui and La that nobody's found it yet, and continue searching for Aang, checking all the rooms he could possibly be in.

_Sokka_

"Do you remember where her house is?" I ask my sister, and check the maps.

"I thought you knew! Oh Agni you're such a pain." She replies angrily. A small piece of paper falls out of my bag. Katara picks it up.

"Here ." She thrusts it at me. "It's from your girlfriend." The note read:

_Sokka- I've gone out fishing and gathering for the house, be back in about a day. Love Suki._

A shocking realization hits me.

"I forgot about my own GIRLFRIEND!"

_Zai_

_Ji pulls the trigger and we run behind a tree to brace for impact. With explosions behind us, we run as fast as we can. I hear a , 'That's them!' behind us, but pay no attention. We don't stop until we make it to our hideout, and empty backyard near and empty house sometimes used to hold soldiers passing by._

_"This is our third time this week getting caught! What are we going to do, Zai?" Ji looks at me, furious. _

_"You heard that too? I don't know! We're going to get caught sometime. You have to do something about your hair, or we might end up in jail, or worse, the Boiling Rock." I gesture to his cranberry-colored bright hair, which he dyed when he was on a rebellious streak (rebelling from what, I don't know, his mother let him do pretty much anything). "Shouldn't it have grown out already?"_

_"I dyed the roots so it'd last longer. There's no dye, pigment, or even ink to re-dye it in the stores. I've looked everywhere."_

_"Then how are we going to harm the troops?"_

_"I don't know! You're the spirit expert. Isn't there a memory-erasing spirit, or something?" I occasionally read about the spirits, but none had this power._

_"First of all, I am NOT a spirit expert. Second, there are no brainwashing spirits."_

_We sat in thought for a few minutes. Suddenly the answer dawned on me._

_"The shadow spirit has a cape that allows you to blend in with the shadows!" I exclaim._

_"How we are going to get it, that's the problem." He looks at me with questioning eyes. His eyes always speak his mind. There is always love for me mixed in with other emotions when I look at them._

_"I have to get into the Spirit World."_

_"How?"_

_"I guess I'll... meditate?" I sit in a lotus-style and close my eyes, arms at my shoulders. "I feel like the Avatar." I mumble._

_"The Avatar disappeared 100 years ago. It could very well be you." Ji replies._

_I smile and mentally say: "_O powerful Spirits, please help me to enter your world." _After repeating this multiple times, light flashes and when I open my eyes, I'm standing at a gate in an unfamiliar world._

_"Hello?" I call. An echo responds: Ello, ello, ello..._

_But no reply otherwise. _

**KEEP WALKING.**

_The thought flashes into my mind like lightning. _

_"Wh-who's there?"_

_Silence._

_I decide to listen to the message and walk, on and on until I come across darkness._

**STOP.**

_I halt right in front of the darkness. It's as if any and all light is being pulled from the area surrounding it and morphing into a big black shadow._

**GO INSIDE.**

_I take a cautious step inside the black and gasp. There's no light, no anywhere to be seen. I try to turn around but I fell a pulling, calling me to step forward._

_"Zai Lin Xiao. I have been expecting you." A voice booms, coming from all around me. It is malicious yet playful._

_With more confidence than I feel, I say strongly, "Who are you?"_

_"I am the Shadow Spirit, and I presume you are looking for this?"_

_A silvery object appears in front of me_

_"The Shadow Cloak!" I gasp and reach out for it. An electrical charge runs through my body, and I pull away sharply._

_"Not yet. You have a price to pay."_

_"What is it?"_

_"When you turn eighteen, the exact minute and second, you will die, and your soul will become mine."_

_This is completely shocking, but I have no choice._

_I nod._

_When I open my eyes, I'm back in the exact same position with Ji right next to me. The only difference is that now it's sunset._

_"Welcome back, did you get it?" Ji asks me._

_"I-I think so..." My voice is shaking. In my hands is the silvery cape. Ji gasps._

_"Oh Agni what's on your hand?"_

Suddenly I awaken. _What happened?_ I think, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. My hands come away blood red and I feel a trickle drip down my earlobe. _My earring!_ My hands fly up to my ear, where, to my relief, my black hoop earring still hangs. I wince as my hands touch the side of my head, though, where there is a pretty deep gash. Suddenly I take in my surroundings.

"THE FIRE NATION PRISON?!" I can't help but yell as the scene comes back to me.

_I had just tripped and fallen and my cape had been ripped from my shoulders. I scrambled to get it, but as soon as my fingers touched the smooth surface, guards yelled, _

_"There! It's her!" Hurriedly I stuffed it in my old (and slightly small) red windbreaker jacket. The last thing I remember is someone saying,_

_"We've been searching for this one for two years now" and the sensation of being thrown, before my head hit a wall and I blacked out._

The cape! I unzip my jacket, and sure enough, my cape is still there.

_Now to get out of this place._ I think, but then I remember Zuko. And remain in my cell.

_Zuko_

"Now to find out who you _really _are." A guard says. A different guard is pinning me down by my hands, restricting my bending. The mask is lifted from my face.

"Prince ZUKO?" The one removing my mask says in surprise.

"I figured it was him." The tougher one holding me says indifferently.

"Throw him in a cell. Firelord Ozai will be glad to hear that he's taken care of, along with that rebel girl."

Before I could process what was happening, I found myself in a prison cell.

_Suki_

With a satisfied look on my face, I walk into camp with a big bucket of fish and another of berries.

_A day late, I hope they're not worried._ I think. But when I look around, nobody's there.

"Guys? Come on, this isn't funny!"

_Zai_

"Hey, you. Girl." The voice came from the wall where the door supposedly was. It was better to keep my eyes closed than to witness all of the bloodshed outside my little window. It had been six weeks since I'd seen the light of day. Four weeks since I'd spoken to anyone. Three weeks since the voices came.

_Well? Aren't you going to answer the guard? _Anger said.

_Hush, dear, Zai's thinking. _Mother answered.

_You guys are all so silly! _Toddler laughed.

"Hello? Ozai ain't gon' be pleased that you're dead..." The gruff voice said with a twangy accent.

"I..." I coughed. My vocal cords were stiff from underuse. "I'm alive." My voice was higher than I remembered it being. It was the voice of a broken soul. Before I knew it my arm was being gripped and then the experience of flying. Light burst behind the cover of my eyelids. The guard, who I'd presumed to be male, pushed me into a standing position. The feeling of skin against skin was so shocking, so unreal, that my eyes flew open instinctively. I shrieked.

"Shut your hole! Ozai'll have my head if he thunk we'da killed ya." He wrapped an arm around my neck and held a knife in front of my face.

_Never give up without a fight. _It read. Where had I seen that before? I racked my tired brain.

"Like my knife? I got it from your little friend the Prince." I was so startled that I jerked away, causing the knife to hit the right side of my face, nearly reopening the scar under my eye I'd acquired from an Earth Kingdom soldier my first day living in the woods.

"Hold your horses. We'll be there soon." And he spoke the truth. Soon enough we were under the cover of night, a relief on my amber eyes. This didn't last long because once again we were inside. I was pushed through a set of gilded red doors with ruby inlay. Inside the throne room it was comfortably hot. The little cell I'd been pushed into wasn't as warm as this massive area.

"Guard. Dismissed." Came a cruel voice drifting out from behind a pit of flames. The guard dropped me into a pitiful heap in front of Ozai's fiery throne.

"My, my, Azula was right when she said six weeks in solitary would break you." He was right. If I hadn't been captured I'd have already been aiming for his heart with an arrow. I coughed again, this time with blood spraying all over his stupid floor tiles. I admired my work.

"Don't look so proud, you little brat. I'll have you know that your little boyfriend -my son- is terminated."

"T-that means..." I whimpered pathetically.

"Correct. Zuko Kasai is gone. Dead."

**A/N Kasai means fire in Japanese. Also I'm changing the rating to T.**

_Katara_

*Six weeks ago...*

"You idiot."

"Well SORRY that I was too busy being CAPTURED to notice any given member of the BoomerAangs!" I sighed.

"Let's just focus on getting Toph for now. AND WE'RE NOT CALLING OURSELVES THAT!"

"Fine."

_Toph_

"Come on, it can't be that bad in here!" Master Wu called. I calculated that he was about seventeen feet and four inches away from me, being kept safe from my amazing fury by a wooden cage.

"It smells in here! And you are totally unoriginal! Combustion man already used the wooden cage bit in the episode 'The Runaway!'"

"Stop breaking the fourth wall!" FireBurningHeart made an appearance via Author Interference Magic, which she had borrowed from AmbrosiaMaestro/SlowBunny.

"Go away, this is my section of the story!" I yelled back. Some people didn't know when to leave a girl alone. A popping noise resounded and FBH was gone.

"Shut up, pathetic girl!" That was Xin Fu's voice.

"The only one who's pathetic is you! You wouldn't need this dumb cage if you were man enough to beat me!"

BANG! A loud crash echoed through the building. I knew who it was immediately.

"Sokka and Katara to the rescue!"

_Zai_

I was shoved back into my cell. My face was still bleeding but I didn't care. All I felt was numbness.

_He never cared about you anyways. He didn't even tell you about his family until right before you got captured. _Anger's voice echoed through my thoughts.

_That's mean! Don't be so mean to Zai! _Toddler defended.

_Hon, it's best we leave Zai to think. _Mother was always the peacekeeper when it came to these things.

"Zuko..." I murmured his name into the darkness. I half-expected to see him come over to me and take my hand. 'What?' he'd ask. I rolled onto my stomach.

_That's weird... _

I reached down into my shirt and produced my silvery shadow cape. A few ideas came to mind, but I was too numb to even move anymore. I just laid on the cold, hard ground with my head resting on the cloak.

_Toph, Sokka, and Katara general POV, still 6 weeks ago._

The trio got back to the campsite to find a steaming-mad Suki.

"Where the hell have you been? I've waited for DAYS for you to return!" She yelled.

"Calm down. You see, while you were out fishing we went to help an old man who I guess was some kind of Fire Nation spy or something. Then he must have called the cops because Aang and Toph got captured." Sokka would have said more but Toph cut him off.

"Long story short, Snoozles and Sugar Queen rescued me and Sparky and Zai still have to rescue Twinkletoes."

"Oh."

_Six weeks later..._

Suki, Toph, Sokka, and Katara were sick of waiting.

"Look, guys, I hate to say this, but I don't think they're coming back." Suki put a hand on Katara's arm.

"I think that they're... dead." At this, Toph stormed off with aid of her rocks and Sokka tried to be strong while Katara wept into her hands. Suki looked at the ground, tears threatening to spill any moment.

_Zuko, 6 weeks ago._

They were ordered to kill me, but they didn't. No. Instead of any of the harsh treatments my father had picked out, a surprise visitor had arisen. She had come one night to break me out.

_I had been thrown into a cell by guards who looked disgusted to touch me._

_'Get in there, filthy scum. We got your girlfriend too.' He snickered evilly._

_'WHERE IS SHE?!' I roared and jumped up to attack them but was easily restrained._

_'Heh, heh. Like we'd tell you.' There was an evil gleam in his eye._

_'You didn't-'_

_'Ozai ordered to kill 'er tomorrow, she's as good as dead anyways.' The guard's grip loosened and I crumpled to the ground in a pathetic heap. Not long after the guards left, she came._

_'Zuko, honey, you're okay!' The woman whispered and pulled me into her arms. I knew that voice..._

_'MOM!' I embraced her tearfully but didn't cry. I was too strong for that._

_'Look, dear, Zai's okay but we have to hide away for a few weeks until we can get her out.'_

_'But she's going to be killed!' My mother laughed bitterly._

_'Those jerks just lied to you so they could go home and rest. We'd better leave now.' And we left, away to an obscure town. But I still had one piece of her. Her sketchbook._

_Aang, present. _

It seemed like years had gone by since everyone was together. I wanted to cry, to scream, but I was too weak. They had me locked up in the same room as always, but the chains were thicker and the doors, soundproof. In other words, it was inescapable, unless you were a mouse. Which reminded me of Miyuki...

"Aang!" A tiny voice called. I must be hearing things, because that voice sounded just like Miyuki.

"Aang!" It called again. Then, before my very eyes, a girl appeared. A familiar girl. Who was kind of short with brown hair and gray eyes.

"Miyuki!"

"Shush! Come on, let's get out of here!" She immediately shifted into a spider and crawled into the locks, unlocking my wrists from the cuffs.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now come on, let's get out of here!" She climbed up the wall and onto the ceiling then unscrewed the screws in the air duct, causing it to drop and fall with a sound like gunfire.

"Hurry up! They probably heard us!" I used my bending to fly up into the cramped duct.

"The Avatar! He's escaped through the air duct!" I heard behind us but kept moving at our steady pace until we were free. Miyuki shapeshifted into a massive eagle.

"Hop on!" I obediently climbed on and we were safe. For the moment. Before we arrived at the campsite she dropped me off. "Good luck out there." With a friendly hug **(I SAID FRIENDLY, ARYI DON'T WORRY YOU HAVE NO COMPETITION!) **and a wave, she was off.

"I'm back!" I exclaimed. Everyone rushed over to glomp me and expressed how worried they were. All but two people.

"Where are Zuko and Zai?"

_Zai_

The voices were wreaking havoc on my brain, as usual.

_You'll never get out. You'll just stay trapped in here, like we're trapped in your stupid mind._

_I'm sure there's some way out!_

_What if Zai doesn't _want _to get out?_

_Can it, giggles!_

_That isn't very nice._

I knew that when they started to fight it was best to intervene.

"Guys... Stop it. I wanta geddouta here." I groaned. The wound on my head had healed about a week ago but it was still tender and it hurt to lean on the rough wall, like I was doing. I shifted my position and took the cape out from under my jacket. It was warm and silky. I slipped it on and enjoyed the feeling of being completely and utterly invisible. But I took it off out of fear for being seen (or not seen, I guess) . Then I remembered something. The last time I had worn that cape was six weeks ago. Back when...

_Just say it already. Back when your stupid boyfriend was alive. _Anger's voice interrupted my thoughts, as per usual. I wanted to scream at her to tell her to shut up, but she was right. Tears flowed freely down my face as I relived the moments we shared.

_What'cha doing, Zai? _Toddler laughed happily. All of my memories disappeared.

"GO AWAY!" I screamed tearfully at my voices. Mother and Toddler left but stubborn Anger stayed to torture me.

After a long pause, I heard someone call my name.

"Zai!" It whisper-shouted again.

"Anger, leave me alone." I mumbled.

"What are you talking about? This is Zuko, son of Ursa-" I had stopped paying attention to what he was saying and instead looked up to see him outside of my window. I reached through the bars to touch his face.

"Zuko! You- I thought you had-" My voice was too weak to complete my sentence. But I stepped away from the door and waited.

"Hold on, I'm coming in to get you." I heard a few short, sharp clicks and the door swung open slowly. I ran over to embrace him and he pulled me close to him. My happy tears soaked his shirt. A cold hand rested gently on my arm and I pulled away in surprise to see a female figure in a hooded cloak.

"I'm Ursa, Zuko's mother." She said kindly. "Let's get you out of here and back to your friends."

We crept stealthily away from the cell, closing the door quietly behind us. I attempted to walk along with them, but my knees shook so badly I had to rest both my arms on my companions' shoulders for support. We came across several hidden passages and back alleys, which we used. Along the way Ursa told me how she had came to break Zuko out of jail by getting a key which a guard had left sitting around and how they had spent the past five or six weeks on an uninhabited island off the coast of the Fire Nation. Finally we arrived at the campsite in the dead of night. I had missed it so much that I nearly fell to my knees and wept (more). But I pulled myself together and we stepped proudly into our campsite grinning like idiots. Momo came flying up to us with excited chattering, which woke Appa, who's load roar awoke everyone.

"What's going... YOU'RE BACK!" Was basically what everyone had cried when they found us. We received many happy hugs and I was glad to be back. And, what's more, the voices were gone. I was free.

_Zai_

The next day everyone was happy, for once. We had decided last night that it was high time we left for the beach house Zuko had gotten from Ozai. With a 'yip-yip', we were off. The journey was long and boring.

"Guys, I have something to tell you." I started, figuring that it was best they knew about Zuko and I.

"What is it?" Katara asked. I looked at Zuko, who seemed like he knew what I was about to say. He nodded.

"Zuko and I are... Together." I said.

"Does that mean like-"

"Yes. We're dating." Zuko answered Toph. He slid over to me and took my hand. We exchanged grins.

"I also have a confession." I sighed. They should probably know about my curse, too. "I'm, um, well, I, uh, I'mDarknesstheBlackSpiritandIhave3moreyearstoliveb ecauseIwascursedbytheShadowSpiritand-" I blurted.

"Slow down. What?" Sokka cut me off. I took a deep breath.

"I was a rebel to the Fire Nation. One day I was caught and I decided to find a way not to be caught again. So I went to the Spirit World..." I told them the entire story, only leaving out Ji. They wouldn't care about that anyways.

"And now I only have 3 years left to live." I concluded. All of my group members expressed some sort of sympathy or bewilderment. I then proceeded to put on my cape to prove my point. They all gasped in unison.

"If we're all having an emotional moment here, I guess this would be the best time to give this back to you." Zuko slipped my sketchbook into my hands. I smiled at him and opened it up to a fresh page, where I began to draw all of my friends. When I was finished, I showed it to them.

"Can someone tell me what it looks like?" Toph asked, annoyed. I described it to her in great detail and before we knew it, we arrived at the house. I had barely even noticed that it had started to rain steadily. We all rushed inside. To end a perfect day, we fell asleep in the living room with myself curled up under Zuko's arm, Sokka and Suki sitting together in a position that resembled a hug, Katara leaning on a corner (not the emo corner, that's the other one) and Aang and Toph sleeping on the floor making a mess of the deck of cards they were using to entertain themselves. (we had to help Toph with determining what the card was).

~This time skip was brought to you by AwkwardTurtleduck, Inc.~

We awoke at generally the same time. Nobody was very hungry so we snacked on berries. Everything was going fine until Aang exclaimed,

"Sozin's Comet is in three days!" After they clued me in on why this was important, everyone began freaking out.

_You have your own battles to face, why focus on the battles of others?_ I thought coldly. But that terrible thought gave me an idea.

"Guys! I have an idea. You know how the Shadow Spirit's going to kill me in a few years?" My eyes were alight with excitement.

"Um... Yeah?" Aang replied.

"Well maybe I can defeat the Shadow Spirit with aid of the Comet!" I was ecstatic to say the least. It was settled, I'd prepare for my interworldly trip until Sozin's Comet came, then I'd go to the Spirit World and regain my life.

Or die trying.

~.oO0Oo.~

The day of Sozin's Comet arrived quickly. I hadn't slept for more than three hours last night and dawn was just beginning to break over the horizon. It couldn't have been later than six in the morning yet I was wide awake. A tingling feeling was erupting all over my body, but mainly in my hands, feet, and stomach. My Firebending was supposed to be increased tenfold today. I tried to push out a little flame from my finger tip. But instead of a little flame, a fire so big it could have burnt the house down if I wasn't careful shot from the tip of my index finger.

"Whoa!" I gasped (making sure to be quiet, for everyone was still probably asleep)

"You're awake too?" Zuko was leaning on my doorframe smiling in that adorable way of his. He looked at my surprised expression and the fire in my hand and gave a look like, _Oh, that's right! Today we're going to defeat my father! _I knew that Zuko was really nervous for this, because from what I'd heard (I'd been out weapon-shopping all day)Zuko had a major breakdown and tried to kill Aang. But Aang was still okay, just a little afraid of my boyfriend going all nuts on him again. I extinguished my fire.

"Wish me luck. Today's my big day as well as yours." I pushed him out of my room lightly. "Now get out. I have to change." He smiled and raised his one existing eyebrow in a mock rape face. I laughed and shut the door. _Hmm..._ I thought. I browsed through my clothing and decided to go with a slightly badass black shirt appropriate for spirit killing and some comfortable black baggy pants. I wore my traditional Fire Nation boots like I did always but ditched the jacket I always wore because it wasn't practical. I dumped the contents of my backpack and only left my knife, Shadow Cloak, and a change of clothes (because I'm not sure if spirits bleed, but I didn't want to show up covered in spirit blood or whatever.). I took a deep breath.

_Say goodbye to your double identity... And your Mark. _I took a quick glance at the _bandage around my arm. This won't be there later... If I survive. No, don't think like that. You are going to survive. _I threw open my bedroom door to find Zuko gone. A delicious smell wafted into my room. I ran to the kitchen to find Katara cooking up some weird Water Tribe thing (though hopefully it didn't taste anything like Sea Prunes...).

"Zuko's outside." Katara answered without me even asking. "And good luck today."

"No luck, just skill. And thanks." I laughed and ran outside. Zuko and Aang were practicing Firebending in the courtyard.

"Morning, Zai. Good luck with the weird spirit thing." He made a 'woooooo' noise complete with wiggly arms and a strange expression on his face to represent spirit magic.

"That's not how it works, Aang. It goes something like: Whooooooooooooooooo..." I did my own spirit magic dance. At one point even Zuko joined in and we all collapsed to the ground laughing hysterically. I wiped the tears from my eyes and stood up. "Okay, back to reality. I have to go, and good luck with Ozai-" I saw something fly high above my head in my peripheral vision. A war balloon. "See ya." I kissed Zuko on the cheek and gave Aang a friendly hug (I said friendly, calm down Aryi) and I was off.

~This time skip is provided by Mushy Giant Friend club: Meet your MGF online today!~

My whole journey from Ember Island to the Fire Nation was a blur, and when I got to the Fire Nation I could see signs of war breaking out everywhere. I think something happened there, something serious, but I couldn't remember.

_I could just wait until the comet has passed and use my spirit abilities to end this war.. NO. That's Aang's job. _I hate being such a busybody... But I ran through the forest until I could see a fairly calm, secluded area to meditate in. I pulled out my cape and put it on. This is the last time I'll ever wear this... I sighed. No turning back now. I positioned myself into lotus style and closed my eyes.

A flash of light, a feeling of lightheadedness. Traveling between worlds felt the same the second time. Soon I was in the Spirit World. Here goes nothing.. I ignored the meditating monkey, who didn't look like he had aged at all. Instead I followed my previous path until I stood in front of the Shadow Spirit's domain. I stuck a cautious hand into the darkness, but my hand bounced back instantly. Figures he would take precautionary measures against me. I backed up and tried to enter, battering ram style. Still no use. Suddenly an idea struck me like Momo had once in a mad rush for berries. I slipped on the cape and glided into the darkness. I could either get my life back, or die trying.

"Zai Lin. Why did I suspect that you were going to come today?" The voice booms around me, taunting me.

"Oh shut up. I'm here to get my life back no matter what it takes."

"I think you know my answer."

"I don't care. Take your stupid cape back, I want to live past eighteen!"

"No deal." I swung my knife around blindly, trying to hurt the spirit in some way.

"You know what? Here's an idea. Instead of taking you away at 18, I think I'm going to have you now." I can feel an irresistible pulling. My head pounds and I feel myself losing control of my senses. Unsure of what I'm doing, I rip off my cape. Now my body is starting to burn, but I have a plan that's worth a shot. I hold up my knife and thrust it through the thin material of the cloak. Instantly I'm released and I drop to the floor feeling dizzy. I hear sound that's less than human. It sounds like a scream and a wolf's call mixed together and set at a low tone. Suddenly the blackness fades away and I'm at the front gate of the Spirit World.

"Ohh..." I moan and spill my guts in front of the meditating monkey, who looks annoyed. I ignore him and sit in a meditating position again, then flash back to the real world.

My head feels like someone's pounding on it with a hammer, then as suddenly as it began it stopped. And sure enough, I was covered in black spirit blood. I quickly change into my spare clothes (I should have paid more attention to what I had packed because I found myself in a ceremonial robe that I normally wouldn't be caught dead in). I know I have to meet the GAang somewhere, but I forget where even though we had established this yesterday. A gust of wind blows suddenly, making a piece of paper fly out of my bag. I grab it. It reads:

The Jasmine Dragon

218 Azulon Avenue

Ba Sing Se

Meet us there at six p.m. after Aang's defeated the Firelord (hopefully).

-Aang.

P.S. It's my Uncle's Tea Shop. -Zuko

I stare at the paper. I have to travel all the way to the EARTH KINGDOM?! Argh! I look at the sun, it's about four. If I took a train there I'd only be a little late. I headed to the train station to see a crowd just beginning to break up.

"Firelord..."

"Zuko."

"He's only a teenager!"

"You and Ky did WHAT?!" I hear some snippets of conversation and from what I could tell, Zuko had just be coroneted. I beam.

_My boyfriend's the Firelord? Sweet!_ I think happily and push my way through the crowd. My bus is incredibly crowded and I'm forced to sit with some large guy sucking on a corncob. _Why do weird things always happen to me? _The bus stops at the Fire Nation and I run off excitedly, following the directions. I locate the place and I calm myself down. I walk maturely over until the window comes into view. I can see everyone sitting at a single table. Zuko's arm is around some girl. I stop in my tracks. Well, she could be a part of his family.. They look vaguely similar. But as I get closer, I see something I shouldn't.. Zuko. And the girl. Kissing. Dropping my mature attitude I run into the shop just in time to see them pull away.

"Oh, um, Zai. Hi!" Zuko says brightly. He's wearing Firelord clothes.

"I saw you kiss." I state blankly.

"Uh, well, I can explain.."

"Save it. I know you're cheating on me with one of your hopeless fangirls and I don't care."

"My life is hard enough-"

"THEN STOP SULKING IN THE EMO CORNER AND ENJOY LIFE A LITTLE. See ya later." I run out just in time because the tears have started. And can't stop.

"I can't believe this!" I scream. The atmosphere is sunny and warm, which doesn't fit my mood at all. Fire erupts from my hands and I just watch it burn. Fire in general, not just my bending, has always fascinated. Back before my father was at war, he would light a fire and I would be entranced. I wonder how my father is doing. Suddenly the realization hits me like a pile of bricks. The whole journey from Ember Island was a bit hazy, but now a piece of my memory has returned. A _big _piece.

_I was running along, not trying to be in a rush, but running anyways to keep myself from doing anything stupid. Soldiers were pouring over the hills now like ants. One man came close, a weapon before him. On impulse, I shoot the arrow into his chest and watch as it buries itself in his heart. The man screams in agony and I'm debating on whether or not I should just put him out of his misery. Then I see his face._

_"Zai Lin?" His voice sounds so familiar..._

_"D-dad?"_

_**I killed my own father.**_

I snap out of the memory. I will never forgive myself for the terrible deeds I have done.

"WHY IS MY LIFE SO HARD?" I yell angrily at the sky. Suddenly, almost like magic, dark storm clouds roll over the sky and it begins to pour. Huh. I run around like a retard looking for somewhere dry to sit and think about things. After a little bit, I come across an abandoned jewelry cart with a big awning. I sit myself under the awning and think.

_I just killed my father, the only person who had ever loved me as much as Ji. He's dead because of me. He will never marry or have any more children, my mother and father weren't married when I was born. It's all my fault. _

Thunder claps over head, almost exactly in sync with lightning. Funny how the weather seemed to depend on my emotions. What a coincidence, because I just killed the Shadow Spirit, who just happens to also be the Storm Spirit. But that's ridiculous. Just because I'd slain the Storm/Shadow Spirit doesn't mean I _am _the Shadow Spirit... Right? I hastily snatch a partially broken mirror off of the cart beside me. I nearly drop the mirror. My eyes , instead of being a golden amber, are stormy gray. My black hair, with sun lightened brown and black streaks is slowly fading to white. I pull out the ribbon used to hold my hair into a high ponytail and run my fingers through my ivory locks. This apparently causes the white to spread more because soon every strand of hair I have is a powdery shade of white. I drop the mirror with tear filled gray eyes.

_Just when you actually want people to recognize you._ My bitter thoughts laugh. It was true, though. I had always wanted a miracle to happen, changing my entire appearance so I'd be unrecognized by the Fire Nation. Due to shortages, I couldn't dye my hair and my family was poor so I couldn't afford new clothing. But now I wish that Zuko would just approach me and embrace me, while whispering that he'd never cared about that stupid girl and he only wanted me. But now he would never be able to do that. I set my face in my hands and sob more than I had ever sobbed in my life.

~This time skip is provided by me trying to lighten the mood because this story is totally depressing me...~

While I stumbled around, day after day, slowly whispers crept around the changing nation.

"Firelord propaganda.. I keep getting letters addressed to some 'Zai' person."

"Same here. The exact same message is posted on the message boards."

"I got, like, five this week."

At first I hadn't noticed that my name was spreading around the Fire Nation, because it was a common name and they must have been referring to someone else, but a feeling was starting to linger around me that they were, in fact, talking about me. I decided to take a trip to a message board. Sure enough there is a message addressed to me.

Dear Zai Lin,

I'm incredibly sorry about what I did, but I have a reasonable explanation. Chances are you'll never read this, but it's been bugging me so please, if you're still with me, just finish this letter and then you can forget about me.

So here goes:  
The girl who I was with is named Mai. We met when I was still deciding what side I was on, good or evil. Soon we found ourselves in love. At first I didn't think it would work, but she proved to me that she loved me and I knew I loved her too. She even saved my life once.

At this point, I ripped the letter off the board and threw it on the ground. I knew that I paled in comparison to this girl, he had saved my sorry ass many times. He didn't need to rub it in. Whatever. I didn't care anymore.

~Another time skip but nobody sponsored this one~

"Guards! Help!"

The voice cried out from the shade of night. It came from the Palace. I had taken to sleeping under the Sakura tree near the Palace, so every word shouted was heard by my ears.

Ignoring my body's cries of protest, I bolt to the Palace ready to help. Upon entrance I could see blood everywhere, a trail of (hopefully) unconscious guards leading me to the Firelord's bedchambers. There I found more blood any disabled guards, with a person in black cornering a figure I recognized as the Firelord. I ignored all feelings I had left in my black heart and crept up on the man then pushed him to the ground roughly, pinning him down. He had a look of sheer terror in his eyes. I grinned sadistically then punched a few pressure points, causing him to fall unconscious.

"I'll let you take it from here." I spoke quietly to the Lord, then turned and was about to leave until I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Zai..." He whispered.

"Now you can count me even with your little girlfriend." I muttered, then jumped out the window, stealthily hitting the ground in a badger-cat -like way. Now that I had acquired inhuman powers, I had discovered that I was more agile, along with the whole storm thing. Also I was able to turn into Darkness for a limited amount of time. I was sure that there were more abilities just waiting to be discovered, but I was going to let nature take its course and have the abilities appear on their own. I still hadn't forgiven myself for killing my father, but I began to fight crime in his memory, kind of like a corny superhero you read about in books. I missed Zuko a lot, but the feelings were disappearing over the course of the year since the war had passed.

_It's time to ditch this place and move somewhere else. _I thought, and in my nomad way, I left the Palace and found a new spot to hide in the Fire Nation.

**Hey y'all! Here I am! I decided that back when I started this I was: A) A year younger B) More immature and C) A worse writer. So I decided to copy-and-paste this story back together (FF deleted my earlier chapters!) and remove some of my more... stupid ANs. By the way, If you didn't know I used to call this Zai's Story. So original, right? Also, thank you to Draco's Firebending Prankster, AmbrosiaMaestro, and Aryi for supporting this. Most people hate OC stories (I actually like them) but whatever. Maybe next time I'll actually use the characters that Michael Dante DiMartino came up with. I should make an anime. Kay. See yaz!**


	2. Filler

**Privyet Everyone! So... the latest S&S Chap. Also: I made a bl og. I'm putting my chapters up for this book I'm writing, Vanishing Act. Here's a lin k: **

** . I don't know if that showed up, but whatever. If you really want the link, PM me. **

I'd moved on from silly things long ago, like the stuffed bunny I used to carry (Usa-Chan!), or the notion my father was still alive. But the one thing I hadn't moved on from was the idea that one day, maybe next week, Zuko would come walking around the corner and recognize me. I was surprised that he had recognized me when I had saved him, but I knew that, like an arrow through the eye or lightning striking the top of the Palace, it wouldn't happen again. I walked through one of the more quiet parks in the Fire Nation and sat down on a bench, thinking.

"Hey you!" A little boy ran over to me.

"Yes?" I asked, a little bit annoyed at his rudeness (I was having a bad day, what can I say?).

"Are you the girl who saved the Firelord?" He asked, pulling out a piece of paper holding my likeness. I was surprised how similar the picture was to me.

"Um, I guess so..." I responded, taking the picture from him. My full name was written out: Zai Lin Xiao, meaning 'little owl in the forest'. **[A/N I didn't know that until after I came up with her name... What a coincidence.] **Under my name, it read: Zai Lin Xiao must report to the Firelord's Palace immediately. Unlike most Firelord propaganda (which was normally about the Harmony Restoration Movement, which had failed), the words were written in a dark orange ink that somehow symbolized urgency.

"Well?" I had forgotten about the little boy.

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to see Firelord Zuko?" He asked.

"I-I guess so." I nodded to the boy and ran off, taking the poster with me. My heart was pounding so hard I thought my chest would explode, even though it'd been a year and a half since I'd actually had a direct conversation with the guy. When I arrived at the palace, I stopped before one of the pillars and took a deep breath. My ivory hair was a mess and my jacket was in shreds.

_It can wait at least an hour, can't it? _ I thought and began to run off.

"Zai?" A voice called out. I whirled around to find who but my ex standing not too far away.

"Look, I'll come back later looking more... respectable." I called back and ran away before he had time to protest. I opened the door to one of those shops I'd never be caught dead in normally. Little bells jingled above me as I closed the door. Some people gave me rude looks, but I just ignored them and made a beeline for the dressing rooms. I removed my ponytail ribbon and raked my fingers through my hair until it looked presentable. I re-tied my hair. Next was my attire. My pants didn't look terrible, just a bit ripped and dirty and short and.. who was I kidding? I needed new clothing ASAP. I sorted through the contents of my bag and found money I'd never seen the point of using. I always just washed my same clothes over and over and hunted and gathered my food. After purchasing a new set of baggy black pants, a vest much like the one Toph wore for her Fire Nation outfit, and a hairbrush, then putting them on- except for the brush-, I was ready.

~.oO0Oo.~

As soon as the Palace came into view, my heart began to beat rapidly to the point where I thought that it was going to burst out of my chest. I placed a hand over it in an attempt to still my heart, but it was in vain. _Why is my heart beating so fast anyways? _I thought to myself. _I can't still have feelings for him, can I? Maybe I do... _I shook my head quickly to banish the thought from my brain. _I _walked out on _him, _after all. I stood at the front door. I raised a fist to knock, but before my fist collided with the door it swung open. I stopped myself just in time, because an inch closer and I would have broken the nose of my ex-boyfriend the Firelord, who stood before me. I lowered my hand and lowered myself into a traditional Fire Nation bow.

"You don't have to bow." He said. I stood up, and for the first time in months, my eyes collided with his.

"Sorry. I saw your poster, what did you want to talk about?" I averted my gray-black orbs from his amber ones quickly, hoping I wouldn't fall for him over again. He didn't love me anyways. Nobody did.

"Come inside." He pushed the door open fully and we stepped inside together, our legs moving in synch. I followed him through a few hallways and rooms, most of which were bigger than I'd ever seen before, until we came to his chambers. I sat on the floor and he sat on his bed.

"I've seen you sleeping outside, and I wondered..." He trailed off. "I wondered if you were okay." He mumbled, looking a little embarrassed. I knew that he was only asking me because he was the Firelord and he was supposed to care about everyone's wellbeing, but still, I was shocked. I nodded.

"Yes, I'm alright. Didn't I tell you once that I'd been living outside for a while before I'd met you?" I refused to believe that he cared about me. I played the sentence over in my head. Spirits, I sounded rude and bratty. I softened my tone. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you saved me... And winter is coming soon... So if you wanted to stay here in a spare room, you're welcome to. So I could, you know, return the favor."

"I'd like that, thanks." And for some reason, he laughed. It was strange to hear him laugh, I'd only heard his laugh once or twice. But it was contagious, and I began to giggle too.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked in between giggles.

"That's what you said to me the day we met and I wanted you to come join us." Zuko stopped laughing, but the ghost of a smile still lingered on his face.

"Oh, yeah." I reminisced. I wished we were still together.

"Mai and I broke up." He blurted.

"Oh, um..." I didn't know how to respond. So in one quick motion, I stood up and wrapped my arms around his neck. It was a quick hug, but as I stepped away from him, I felt very satisfied. "Thanks for letting me stay here for the winter." Winters here were very mild and often it didn't even snow, like last year, but this year all the local fortune tellers predicted the same thing: bitter cold and harsh weather.

"No problem."

**Filler chapter is filler. **


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